Grinning and bearing it...

I have been so genuinely shocked and overwhelmed to the response from my last post I am not really sure how to process it all.  I am always surprised if someone reads what seems like boring, silly words to me, let alone to have so many people send me such kind, thoughtful messages.  I was never expecting such a response and I am incredibly thankful to anyone who contacted me in anyway shape or form.  It never ceases to amaze me how a simple message from someone I may not have spoken to in months, or years for that matter, can make such a difference to an otherwise extremely challenging day. 

So how is the new diet going? I am definitely doing more experimenting and New Recipe Sunday, along with every other day of the week, is well and truly in full swing.  We have had some hits and misses and by no means has this been an easy or fun journey for me but I am hoping time to find some staple ingredients again will make things easier.  I thank the thousand of other bloggers around the world for sharing their ideas and recipes as without them I would be finding this journey a thousand times harder and trust me it is hard enough as it is.

Some of the more challenging things I have found is trying to find some sweet recipes or more realistically replacements for chocolate. I love chocolate, especially when I am having a tough day, it is without a doubt my comfort food. It has therefore been really important for me to have some alternatives at the ready as tough days are coming from all directions it seems. If only cheating once every now and then was an option, but sadly not!  So many 'healthy' sweet alternatives include coconut oil which for me is a big no no as is anything with cocoa butter, making chocolate recipes incredibly tough.  With this in mind I have spent some time trying to adapt and change recipes to make some chocolate replicas and I have found a ripper slice that I am really happy with.  I am calling it a raw vegan hedgehog slice, but call it what you will, it is delicious.  It is really simple but be warned it is incredibly rich.  I think I will decrease the cocoa/cacao when I make this again but it is a really good alternative and one that I will have on hand at all times.  It is primarily nuts and dates so it really is a much healthier option than the biscuit based hedgehog I am used to, so if you want to mix things ups, give it a crack.

I know I have been banging on about sweet dishes but it realistically isn't my main priority.  let's be honest, we do eat at least 2 main meals a day so there has been a lot of time trying new suitable dishes.  I really hate having the same meal two nights in a row so there has been a LOT of researching and recipe hunting. On reflection, as I flick through the 100 plus photos from the last fortnight (I know I am back in blogging mode when literally the only photos on my phone are of food) I have tried a lot already.  So far I have ticked off roast veggie pasties, prawn and chilli spaghetti, lentil lasagne and salmon burgers to name a few but the one that deserves the biggest mention was pad thai with prawns.  I had to do make a few adaptions to a recipe from Taste, taking things out such as eggs, but I think my version still tasted very very similar to any that I have had a restaurant before.  I think this is easily the most authentic tasting pad thai I have made myself and I have tried a few times in the past.  This is the first time I have used a recipe with tamarind paste and I think this made all the difference. If you don't have some in the fridge, grab some from the supermarket as I swear this is the secret ingredient to such simple deliciousness.

Finally let's talk about New Recipe Sunday this week.  I am already starting to get a little sick of fish as well as root vegetables so trying to experiement with some more vegetarian options and some less boring flavours.  I saw a picture on Facebook for a vegan 'meatloaf' and I thought this not only looked delicious but would be something very different to what I have been trying.  I did some researching and found a recipe that looked half decent so gave it a whirl.  I made some small adaptions and I was really really surprised with the results.  Chickpeas haven't been a staple in our pantry before so I wasn't too sure what to expect but they didn't seem to have a lot of taste and I think could be incredibly versatile an ingredient for future.  The chickpea loaf was such a similar consistency to an authentic meatloaf and the flavours were really great too, the chickpeas seemed to soak up all of the sauces really well.  I served it up with some roast vegetables and I think I would happily have this as an alternative to a Sunday roast again in future.

As this week draws to a close I am counting down the days (7 for those keeping track!) until I am on holidays and it couldn't come around quick enough. I am really looking forward to some 'me' time to try and get on top of things and to get myself back into a better routine.  I have really neglected exercise of late and my body is starting to let me know it with a few aches and pains popping in to say hello.  Time to get those muscles moving again as they seem to be seizing up with old age!  That's it from me, always keep smiling even if at times it feels like 'grinning and bearing it' as you never know who will do something so simple that will brighten your day.

Nine months later...

Where has the year gone? How can it possibly be 9 months since I put pen to paper so to speak?  Why do I keep putting the things that I love doing to the bottom of my ‘to-do list’?  All questions that I have asked myself on more than one occasion, as I am sure many of you have at some stage.  As I struggled with the mental debate of going to the gym when getting home from work today I asked myself why am I punishing my body by forcing it to do something that is perceived as good when the idea of going is causing me such mental grief?  Isn’t something that is mentally satisfying just as good as physical exercise?  With that thought I picked up my laptop, poured a glass of wine and sat outside in the beautiful sunshine to see how behind I am on something that I continue to tell myself I love but yet have dedicated no time to what so ever for the last 9 months apparently!

So where to start?  I have many food adventures to share but I feel I need to start with the real reason as to why I haven’t picked my computer up in so long before I can delve into the food side of things.  I am not sure if I am ready to share this with anyone, anywhere, in the world but I am going to bite the bullet as I can confidently say this will affect anything and everything I write about in future.  Who knows, maybe it will help.

Approximately 2 ½ months ago I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).  I don’t know about you but this is something I knew little about and my only real reference was the memory of participating in the MS read-a-thon in primary school...which was sadly many moons ago!  Just after Easter, I found myself incredibly sick.  I noticed feelings and sensations I have never felt before, I needed to sleep at any chance I got and the idea of a weekend was nonexistent as I just lay on the couch the day consisting of napping between naps.  Not only did my blog go missing but there were many friends whose texts, emails or calls I never returned as picking up the phone was using too much precious sleeping energy.  Going to the gym or playing sport once a week compared to my 5-6 times was definitely out of the question as my body screamed at me in pain to stop.  I remember waking up during the middle of the night with such extreme cramping and pain that it was at this point that I was confident there was something wrong with me.  After months of seeing countless doctors, being misdiagnosed with things such as kidney infections or simply told to wait it out and come back in a few weeks to see if the symptoms had disappeared I refused to take these answers.  After a few months these intense symptoms started to disappear and as I was gradually getting better I started to question if there really something wrong with me after all?  Trained professionals are telling me there is nothing wrong so perhaps it is all in my head?  The silent symptoms however did not disappear so quickly. These could range from things to severe cramps in my feet where I could hardly walk without intense pain or constant pins and needles in my hands.  As my nerves found new ways to send messages to my body these sensations gradually disappeared but it has only been in the last few weeks were I really feel like my body is returning to normal, or at least a much closer version of what normal used to be. I thank myself every day that I was confident in knowing my body and so persistent for answers that I have found myself in such a fortunate position of being diagnosed so much earlier than most.  While I am thankful for being diagnosed so early with only 4 lesions on my last MRI, sadly this knowledge doesn’t stop the rollercoaster of emotions that come with learning to live with a chronic condition that as of yet has no cure.  

So how is this going to affect my blog I hear you ask!?  Well, I have made the decision not to start with medication, which let me tell you, was an incredibly hard decision to make, but I have instead decided to make some alterations to my lifestyle including my diet. I have recently switched to a no saturated fat diet which has proven benefits for MS sufferers, in many cases more successful than any current medication on the market.  So over the last few months I have said goodbye to so many things that I love, including all meat and dairy products and I decided to get back into the swing of things I would share with a couple of my most memorable and delicious food adventures of this year.

I have no choice but to start with Catfish Thai, easily the most memorable of the year.  A restaurant that has been open for a few years now in Ballarat but I have never made the trip.  It is a little more expensive than most and is definitely ‘upper class’ Thai but wow the food is exceptional, the ingredients are so incredibly fresh and it is totally worth every penny. If you haven’t made the trip yet, make sure you pencil it in ASAP even if it is just once for a special occasion as my words do not do it justice.

Something else that deserves a mention is the BallaratSteakhouse. I am not a huge steak eater, in fact I would never cook a piece of steak at home, but some friends were going and I thought what the hell.  I was genuinely surprised at how enjoyable it was and can appreciate when people comment on a good steak but I will happily mark this one off with a tick and feel no need to do this again in a hurry.

Apart from the obvious junk food of chocolate (man I will miss Maltesers), chips and ice cream the thing I am going to miss the most is the oh so comforting and reliable chicken parma and chips.   No matter where you go you can always rely on the menu having a chicken parma and even if it is crap it is still amazing!  I will miss the deep fried crumbed chicken, the oozy cheese and the amazing chips that combine so well with the tomato sauce that is spilling over the side.  I couldn’t say goodbye to this so easily without going out to experience my last ever parma. North Ballarat was the lucky venue that won my last ever parma meal and boy did I enjoy every bite!  I know it sounds so sad and pathetic that I am dwelling on the things that I will never have again when I should be concentrating on all of the things that I will be gaining by changing my lifestyle but it is surprisingly hard when this decision is somewhat forced on you.  While I am generally an incredibly positive person, I can’t keep up this facade 24/7 as I adjust to this new life.  

Not only has my blog slipped since I became sick but so too did new recipe Sunday.  Changing my diet gave me a little push to start this up again as there are so many pre-made things that I can no longer have thanks to vegetable oil being included in almost everything on the shelves! I am currently on a dough theme and so far have whipped up some pizza bases, naan bread and tortilla wraps, which by the way you have to try.  I was amazed how easy and how incredibly delicious these were.  I have also put some time into making my own muesli, tomato sauces, dips and many others.

While this is certainly a frustrating journey at times I hope to share with you this new challenge and how there are still so many delicious options out there, sweet, savoury and all things in between.  I finally want to thank all of those who have and continue to support me through this journey whether it be by sending a text, getting me out of the house for a weekend away, bring me some flowers to brighten my day or cooking me a meal that both you and I can enjoy it has not gone unnoticed and I appreciate each and every one of you.  A special thank you to the guy that cops the brunt of my tears, constant venting of frustrations and who knows what mood he will have to weather tomorrow.  He has continued to support and surprise me daily through this journey, I even scored a surprise air fryer that very much excites me, hello crispy fries! Don’t worry you will get a review on this soon enough! 

Before I sign off, as always, keep smiling and remember put the things you love at the top of your to-do list.

Another Birthday Month Been & Gone

What a crazy month and a half it has been.  Lets back track to my long anticipated holiday.  It was so lovely to have some time off work and even more exciting that I got to spend some time with Dylan.  I am going to skip right past the driving, as that wasn't fun, with the exception of all of the 'big' things we saw.  First was the Dish followed by the Golden Guitar on the way up and on the way back the big banana.  I of course got token photos at all of the attractions while Dylan all but rolled his eyes at my insistence that we must stop.  His loss I say!

We also planned an extra day on the way up to stop and visit the Dubbo Zoo.  For those that haven't been it is designed to drive around in either your car, a hired golf buggy or bike but you can also choose to walk. As it was only 6kms we decided to walk but I was shocked that we were the minority especially as when you drive you even have to stop and get out of the car at every enclosure therefore lots of people just drive on by and don't see all of the animals. It was a warm day but we managed to see all of the animals.  I do love the zoo!

After another exhausting drive we eventually made it to Kingscliff late Monday afternoon just in time for it to start pouring rain!!   We stayed at Peppers Salt Resort & Spa and it was a beautiful place. We had our own one bedroom apartment in the resort and it had all the bells and whistles anyone needed.  The resort itself had a beautiful restaurant, poolside bar and two pools, one of which was a lagoon pool.  We unfortunately didn't have the best weather but I did manage to fit in at least one afternoon by the pool and a few walks by the beach.  I loved spending some time on our private balcony reading a book and just relaxing.  Due to the sad weather, we spent a lot of time at the resort which meant we ate a number of different things there. The poolside bar did amazing food and also doubled as room service.  Over the course of the week we tried a few things from here including the most amazing duck spring rolls you have ever had and some very fresh delicious fish tacos.

One morning we wanted to get out and do something so we took advantage of the no rain situation and headed to Mount Warning Rainforest to go for a walk.  We were hoping to go on smaller walk but this was of course closed to due to weather so we tackled the 9km round trip hike to summit...we were not prepared for this 5 hour walk so we made it about 1.5kms and turned around.  It was really lovely to get outdoors and go for a walk and I really enjoyed the rainforest apart from the leeches..eww yucky things!

On our last night I wanted to get a little dressed up and go to a beautiful restaurant with amazing quality food.  There was a strip of restaurants opposite the resort and we had tried a few different places including a Thai place which was really delicious but I took a chance on this little Italian restaurant called Bellini and it blew us away.  It was a little expensive but so worth it. I chose the gnocchi and Dylan had a steak.  The gnocchi was probably the best I have ever had, it was cooked to perfection and the sauce was made with cherry tomatoes. I would so go back just to eat here again! Dylan also said the steak was the best steak he has ever had in his life, which is a big call but he certainly used it as a comparison to any steak he has eaten since!

Sadly my holiday already feels like it was months ago which isn't a surprise with how much I have packed in since we got home.  I don't think I can go into detail about everything so here is a simplified version!  I went on a ghost tour with some friends from work around Ballarat which was very interesting to hear some history of Ballarat but I didn't see any ghosts..boohoo.  Before we went on the tour we all got together and ate at Cafe Meigas, a Spanish restaurant that I have been trying to get to for a long time.  It is only open a few nights a week so it has been hard to get there.  We all chose a dish each and tried some tapas.  All of the food was great but there was so much to try I felt so over full it ruined the experience. I think I need to go back here with a much smaller group to give it a real report but it is definitely worth a try, not to mention the best sangria that I have ever had outside of Spain.

As a birthday treat (I will accept all belated presents and well wishes!) Dylan and I headed out to Red Peppa.  It is one of the more pricey restaurants in town but it was so worth it.  The quality of food here is amazing and it is so worth the price unlike some of the other pricey restaurants in town.  I had the Pumpkin & Goats Cheese Tortellini and it was amazing.  Homemade pasta just automatically makes a dish so much better.  The only thing that I would fault with it was that the tortellini was so big that sometimes the pasta was a little too thick in places.  There was about three or four things I wanted to try on the menu so I think we will be making a trip back very soon, I will just have to make up another special treat reason to go there!! In addition to my birthday dinner with Dylan, this year I decided to have a very low key celebration and had an afternoon out with the girls.  I decided I wanted to go to Tuki Trout Farm for a spot of fishing.  I love fishing but it is something that I haven't done in a long time.  It is so relaxing and serene and I managed to catch myself a fish.  We opted for the lunch special where you catch your fish and they cook it up for you. It was really enjoyable and I would love to go back here again.  It is about a 30 minute drive from Ballarat and is a beautiful setting for a special occasion.  For those that don't like seafood, they also have their own lamb that they produce and cook at the restaurant not to mention sharing plates and desserts!

After stretching my birthday week out, it was time to concentrate on work and work only as O-Week was already upon us.  It is a fun but exhausting week where we work crazy hours to make sure we have day and night time events for students to enjoy. My favourite event to organise (and it is very popular with the students) is what we call the main event.  It is a carnival themed event where we have a number of vendors come in and serve all free food and have a bunch of carnival themed rides like a bungee tramps, face painting and a bucking bull. This year the food included Round the Way Bagels, Potato Twirls & Red Door woodfired pizza's but I decided to try a gozleme from Tasty Gozleme as I have never had one before.  I had a basic spinach and cheese one and it was delicious.  A great alternative to the normal crepes that you often see.  I will definitely try one of these again when I see them out and about.

Before I finish I have to mention probably the most exciting thing since I last wrote.  My little brother got married this weekend!! We spent the long weekend in Mildura and had an amazing time catching up with family and friends.  The wedding was great and even though I have already gone photo crazy this blog I have to share one with you.

In addition to all of these things I've been going to and food I've been eating, I have also started some pretty exciting things that have taken up a lot of time.  I started a new job just prior to O-Week which I am so excited about.  It is still at the uni and still in the same team but I am now the Sport & Recreation Officer on campus.  I am sure it is no surprise to many of you as I have always loved sport, but I so pumped to be stepping into a role with more opportunities to implement my ideas and develop my own program instead of working on other peoples ideas and programs.  I also made the decision to sign up and try the Michelle Bridges 12wbt program. I have heard many good things about it and have been looking into it for a while so I just took the plunge and signed up. I am already 5 weeks in and have had a pretty good experience so far but I think I will leave this for next time as there are some great things that I have cooked that I would love to share with you.  Until then, keep smiling xxx

Bringing in the New Year in style

Woweee welcome to 2015! I hope you didn't blink and miss the crazy Christmas and New Year period because it sure feels like I did.

I had a great Christmas visiting my family, eating, eating and of course more eating! My favourite thing about all the food at Christmas is that everyone makes enough to cater for triple the amount of people that are there so we get to eat left overs for the next three days! I then get to the point where I have to leave because if I keep eating like this, I will need someone to roll me back to Ballarat!

I was home for one night before heading off to Warrnambool to bring in the New Year with a group of friends.  I love heading away with the girls for a few days, especially when I don't get to see them very often.  We checked into our caravan park cabin and with very little, aka zero, plans I think we ended up doing some relaxing and fun things.  We had a very relaxed New Years Eve with an Aussie BBQ at the caravan park and of course checking out the fireworks! It was New Years Day when we really stepped up our game.  We headed out to winery for some wine tasting and lunch and golly it was a good start to 2015.

We visited Basalt Winery between Warrnambool and Port Fairy and not only was the wine really really good but the food was exceptional.  The cellar door was nothing like I have seen before just out in the back shed, although it looked really rustic and cool I was thinking to myself I am not sure what we have gotten ourselves into here.  We ordered some dishes to share and I was blown away.  My favourite by far was the locally made Shaw River Buffalo Mozzarella balls served with basil and pancetta. So fresh and amazingly delicious.

I think we could have stayed here all day but thought better of it and headed into Port Fairy to have a look around.  It was definitely a stroke of luck that our great day continued and we found some markets to check out before heading down to the beach.  It sadly wasn't warm enough to get my gear off but I love the beach.  There were some people out surfing so we hung around for a while and enjoyed enjoyed the sound of the waves.

The next day the blistering 40 degree sun came out to greet us and it was a welcome change. Before heading to the beach we decided to check out Cheese World which was a short drive from our caravan park.  We were so pumped expecting a beautiful gourmet cafe we could have a sophisticated lunch at after checking out the museum. This was not meant to be! We did some cheese tasting and had a look around but the cafeteria serve yourself style lunch certainly wasn't up to our standard so we headed back into town and hit the beach.  After spending the afternoon cooling down in the refreshing ocean we decided to check out the night markets.  There was live music, market stalls and my favourite, the food vendors! There was lots to choose from but I settled on a wood fired lamb pizza.  My first thought was gosh that is small for the amount of money I just paid but the ingredients spoke for themselves.  It was so fresh and clearly good quality local products I would happily go back and spend the mula again.

We ended our trip by heading across the road to the carnival.  I have never seen a grown woman get so excited about carnival rides...especially ones that go a 360 degrees that leaves you hanging upside for a little while.  Even writing that makes my stomach turn.  There was no way I was getting on that ride but I watched (and tried not to faint or vomit) as Connie and Sally hung upside down.  That was me done for the night!!

As we headed back to Ballarat I couldn't believe I had one more day  at home before my two and a half weeks off was over.  I must have been blinking too fast.  I decided before Christmas that I needed to get my new recipe Sunday back on so what better way to end the holidays than with a new dinner.  When I was a kid I used to love the continental creamy chicken and mushroom pasta you used to make in the microwave.  They no longer make this flavour and I have long been trying to find something that even came close.  I did some research and I found a chicken fricassee recipe that I decided to try and see if I could recreate the taste. I did a few alterations including adding some curry powder to the recipe and it was darn close let me tell you.  I am definitely going to make my version of creamy chicken and mushroom curry again.

I am definitely back in the swing of things including having a dinner session with my girls as having three weeks without seeing each other feels like an eternity! We decided to go to North Ballarat Sports Club so we could get a bingo session in.  Yes that's right, we love bingo! It has been a long long time since I have played bingo here, in fact I don't think we have gone since I have been back in Australia so it was well overdue.  We heard a rumour that they do Ballarat's best parma and I honestly thought that must be rubbish but they surprised me.  They clearly used home made crumb and crumbed their own chicken breast and I would have to say they did an exceptional job..I feel bad I didn't try and get a better photo, I was really writing them off from the get go!  Ignore the picture, go there to get a parma, you won't be disappointed!

I have now had two weeks back and work and as of tomorrow I am on two weeks holidays again! I am really looking forward to our trip to Kingscliff and we have booked an extra night at Dubbo on the way up to visit the Taronga Zoo. Wish me luck for the 20 hour car trip, I am NOT looking forward to that one bit at all.  Until then, don't be too jealous and keep smiling as you make your mark on 2015!